Black bear euthanized after frequenting area

SHALIMAR, Fla. (AP) — A 350-pound black bear found sleeping in a Florida Panhandle tree has been euthanized.

The bear had been caught, tagged and removed from the same area twice since April but kept finding his way back to the neighborhood near Panama City.

A spokesman for Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told the Northwest Florida Daily News (http://bit.ly/1xc7TSC ) that the bear was euthanized because he created a risk of causing traffic accidents and other problems in the busy area.

The bear was first spotted April 14 near a Panama City elementary school. He was moved 90 miles away to Mud Swamp in Apalachicola National Forest, but he returned to the neighborhood just three weeks later. He was relocated again before he returned for a third time on Monday.